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Nemaha NRD puts Moratorium on New Well Permits

By Matthew Leaf

01/21/2013

(KTNC) - A moratorium has been issued on the construction of new wells in the Nemaha Natural Resources District. The NRD Board voted this month to approve a 180-day stay on the construction of new high capacity wells.
As NRD General Manager Bob Hilske explains, the NRD has seen an increase in well permit applications recently. The stay was issued to allow time to complete revisions to present groundwater rules and regulations, so the board can do the best job possible in evaluating future permits. (play audio :29)
Wells under construction in the Nemaha NRD before the stay was issued can be completed, however wells not yet under construction cannot proceed during the stay. Hilske says they have contacted well drillers in the area about the restrictions.
He says the 180-day timeframe should give them time to develop a new method for evaluating well permits. (play audio :45)
Hilske says the recent drought may have had an indirect impact on the board’s decision to issue the moratorium. (play audio :23)
The conflicts, Hilske says, mainly involve wells that are built too close to one another or older, poorly constructed, wells.
The Nemaha NRD will have to hold a public hearing to explain the new rules. Hilske says that will likely take place in March or April. If the new rules are finalized before the 180 days are over, the stay could be lifted early, which Hilske says is a goal of the NRD.
After voting to approve the 180-day stay, the NRD Board – on an 8-7 vote – approved five well permit applications, though construction on the wells cannot begin until the stay is lifted.
The Nemaha NRD will not accept any additional permits while the moratorium is in place.

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